No A La Guerra returns to the Oscars red carpet as Bardem revives the slogan, calls out “the same lies”
no a la guerra was back in the spotlight at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles as Javier Bardem arrived to present an award during the Academy’s 98th ceremony. On the red carpet, Bardem wore the slogan on his lapel alongside a Palestine pin, linking it to what he described as recurring justifications for war. The moment unfolded as the ceremony took place amid an escalation of conflict involving Iran, sharpening the political edge of the night in real time.
Red carpet message: Bardem repeats a slogan from 23 years ago
Bardem reached the Dolby Theatre wearing a placard with the “No a la Guerra” logo on his lapel—an emblem that became widely known in Spain during opposition to the Iraq war 23 years ago, and one he had worn during that period at the Goya Awards and at demonstrations. In recent days, the slogan has re-circulated again, also used by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in connection with U. S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Speaking on the red carpet, Bardem said the message was unchanged from the one he carried decades earlier. “It’s the same thing I used 23 years ago. It’s the same lies, ” he said in remarks aired by Movistar, which broadcasts the ceremony in Spain. Bardem contrasted the earlier claims about weapons of mass destruction with today’s talk of toppling regimes, arguing that such actions only radicalize them.
No A La Guerra and the broader wave of pins: Palestine symbols and ceasefire calls
The political signaling on the carpet did not stop with Bardem. Director Oliver Laxe, whose film Sirât is nominated for best international feature and best sound, appeared in a black suit with a single accessory: a watermelon pin, described as a symbol of solidarity with Palestine. Laxe summed up his reasoning with a simple appeal: “You have to hold everyone’s pain, ” adding that it should stay in people’s conscience and be carried, even if only a little.
Actress Saja Kilani, star of La voz de Hind—a film about a six-year-old Palestinian girl who died after being shot by the Israeli army—arrived wearing a peace-dove pin bearing the message “Artists4Ceasefire. A Just Peace. ” The film’s director, Kaouther Ben Hania, said the movie’s main actor could not attend inside the Dolby Theatre due to a ban imposed under Donald Trump’s government preventing Palestinian citizens from entering the United States.
In the same atmosphere, a separate message also appeared on lapels: “ICE Out, ” aimed at the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Author and activist Glennon Doyle was among those seen with that pin, and she also carried a bag with an explicit anti-ICE slogan.
Immediate reactions: ‘Speak without fear’
Bardem, while acknowledging he did not know whether the night would become broadly “activist, ” said he would do what he could and what he knew how to do. He urged people not to be afraid to speak: he wanted “people not to have fear and to talk and say what they have to say, whether we agree or not. ” He framed his presence at the ceremony as valuable not only for the category he would present, but for the message he could help amplify in a global setting.
His brother, Carlos Bardem, underscored that intent in a public post, praising “the courage of my brother” and the “value of gestures where they can cost you the most, ” while celebrating that “our NO A LA GUERRA” would be visible on the Oscars’ world stage alongside Handala, and alongside a tribute to their mother, actress Pilar Bardem, who died in 2021.
Quick context: why the carpet turned political again
The 98th Oscars unfolded during a broader escalation involving Iran, a development that shifted attention toward global geopolitics. With tensions rising, security around the Dolby Theatre was reinforced as attendees moved through the area.
What’s next: more statements expected as the ceremony continues
With stars already using the red carpet to signal positions on war, ceasefire, and immigration enforcement, more on-stage and off-stage reactions remain possible as the night progresses. For now, no a la guerra has re-entered the Oscars frame—an old slogan returned to a new crisis, carried into the Dolby Theatre with the explicit aim of pushing people to speak without fear.
